Tips for Single-Hand Rigging

[sandycohen]

Hi - Thanks for all the great help in this forum this week - I am reposting this question in a fresh thread.

One addendum question - what is the best way to tape a new halyard to an old halyard so I can pull it through the mast without losing one or the other to replace?

First of all, the boat is a 23' south coast seacraft sloop.

Attached are some pictures of the boat layout now. The mast has no plates and is deck-stepped and the cam-cleats for the jib on top of the cabin need to be replaced (and relocated if I want). The winches on either side are apparently for the genoa only (the angle causes the sheet to get fouled if I use the jib sheet with the winch) and has NO cleats behind it so I need to add a cam or deck cleat there.

I'd love suggestions on the simplest way to rig this for single-handed sailing - it would be great to run the halyards further aft, although it's fairly easy to stand in the cabin and work them from the mast without putting myself in any danger if the water is rough, but it means I have to leave the tiller. Likewise, it would be nice to cleat the jib-sheets closer to the tiller, and be able to work the jib down-haul I want to install.

Do I need to attach some sort of blocks to my mast to turn the sheets into a deck organizer or other leads, or is there a clean simple way to lead them without that?

Thanks

Sandy

[Tempest245]

When I replaced my halyards I sewed the ends together..butt joint...and then taped them with that...Atomic tape...I wasn't taking any chances.

I used a strong waxed carpet thread..theaded a needle passed it through the line back and forth once and then whipped the end of the line with the thread...did the same on the end of the new line...then taped them real tight...so not to make it any thicker.....it all passed over the shieve pretty easily..

[bewitched]

Replacing Halyards: Sew loops with some strong waxed thread in the end of both halyards. Tie a short strong piece of thin nylon line between the two. Tape over the knots with electical or some other cheap tape. and pull through. Leave in the loops for next time.

Rigging the boat: a hundred ways to do this. My thoughts would be to run all halyards, vang, outhaul, reefs etc to the base of the mast and then to jammers or cam cleats on the cabin top.

A handy tip for small boats with jibs is to put small blocks on the clew so that you can 2:1 the sheets - no need for winches - your jib track is already on the cabin top, a cam cleat near the aft end of the cabin top is all you need to sheet in and secure the jib

Mainsail sheeting: you have a traveller behind the tiller, which is nice -I would be tempted to set up a course tune / fine tune system. My last boat had this (28ft, with BIG main) and it woked a treat.

Use the winches for spinnakers and Genoa (led through a block on the track next to the cockpit)

[barnakiel]

- lazyjacks,
- main halyard to the cockpit,
- sheets on self-jamming cleats,
- if you can afford one, a roller for the jib,

b.

[highseas]

Main halyard to cockpit not such a good idea,especially when singlehanding.Why?you still have to go to mast to,1;attach halyard to headboard,2;guide sail up through lazyjacks(especially with full length battens),3;reef sail,4;assist in pulling sail down when lowering.The mast is the place to be,unless of course you have very long arms!As far as steering while at the mast,be real quick,and or use your autopilot to hold a course into wind while idling under power,or lash the tiller.I have done this more times than I can remember,works for me.

[Ex-Calif]

Here is a picture of our coach roof. I can single hand Relax Lah with little difficulty. We have a furler and that is a great recommendation. The furling line runs back to the aft port winch right next to the tiller.

The main has lazy jacks and I just dump the main and with such a small sail flake it properly after it is down. Getting head to wind is key when raising so the battens don't hook the lazy jacks. With the tiller between my legs I can reach all the lines on the coach roof.

You can see we have 8 jammers. 4 proper lever type and 4 friction jammers. I hate the friction jammers and will replace them someday.

Right to left are

1 - first reef
2 - second reef
3 - genny halyard
4 - main halyard
5 - spinnaker halyard
6 - topping lift
7 - pole lift
8 - pole down (hidden)

The reefing requires getting to the mast to hook the cringle on the horn as I haven't felt the need to go single line reefing yet. It would be a good mod for the boat.

The winch on the coachroof is a luxury actually and we only use it on the main halyard in "strong" conditions.

On a 22 foot boat this would be a very easy set up for you to single hand.

[sandycohen]

excalif can you please post a picture showing the mast base so I can see how the lines turn into the cleats?

my cabin top slides open nearly to the mast...my cockpit is very long for the size of the boat_ and so I really can't mount on top of the cabin very effectively except on the sides and I wonder how much worthwhile that is when I can stand in the cabin with my head out by the mast. I was thinking more in terms of running my lines (really just two halyards a downhaul and jib sheets) much further aft near the tiller. Does anyone have experience with that?

also an the person who suggested the 2:1 jinsheetmethod please elaborate?

[Ex-Calif]

Oops - I didn't really look at your companionway hatch.

I don't have any decent shots of the mast base and will try to snap a few today.

Your cockpit appears quite a bit longer than ours so I understand the interest in running the halyards further back - I think this might be more complicated than it's worth.

It's hard to get perspective but you can't reach the genny winches from the tiller? Where do they cleat off? I don't see anything in your photos.

[sandycohen]

Hi! The winches don't have a cleat. Another one of my issues. But the bizarre thing is it doesn't appear they ever did!

with a tiller extension I could easily work the winches from the tillr. As it is its a little bit of stretch. It maybe worth running a couple of turning blocks from the mast halyards and the jib downhaul to jammers on the side of the hatch so at least I can work them with some purchase rather than standing in front of the mast trying to pull downwards.

its a big cockpit!!

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by sandycohen

also an the person who suggested the 2:1 jinsheetmethod please elaborate?

I wish I had a picture, but I dont:

1) Attach two small blocks to the clew of the headsail with shackles.

2) Take one end of the jibsheet and attach it to either (depending on your hardware):
- the front of the jibsheet car
- somewhere infront of the car, on the track.
- the base of the jibsheet lead block if you don't have a track & car arrangement

3) Take the other end of the jibsheet lead it up through one of the blocks on the jib and then back through the jib car and then to a cam cleat.

good for jibs where sheets run inside the shrouds (like yours appear to do) - not good for overlapping genoas.

[Ex-Calif]

I'd be really careful if I rigged the genny clew with any hardware. Someone could really get smacked.

Sandy actually has two foresail systems. The coachroof cars and bullets are for a jib - inside the shrouds - and the sheets could probably be routed to the winches directly. The cockpit cars and winches are for the genny - outside the shrouds.

We have a similar set up but with a furler the forward jib rails are superfluous usually. With the genny furled technically we should re-route the sheets but I am generally too lazy and we aren't furled often enough for long enough to go through the hassle. I don't even have the cars on deck because I don't want them to get UV'd to death.

It may not be ideal but you could put the genny cleats aft of the winches, near the tiller. Cam cleat would work but you might have to put an angle base mount so the cleat is true to the winch. A horn cleat would also work fine. You can sheet the genny from the tiller that way. However you wil likely have to leave the helm to load the lazy winch prior to tacks. But if you aren't racing this isn't a "rush" job. Grinding is a little more problematic and I have had to leave the tiller momentarily to sheet in at times.

Relocating the winches aft and having self tailers is probably the "right" answer but you are now talking major mods.

BTW - Are we talking long cruises here or daysailing? The reason I ask is that for passage making I would invest more to do it right (safer) than if I was doing daysails.

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

I'd be really careful if I rigged the genny clew with any hardware. Someone could really get smacked.
.

Jib clew, not genoa clew - so they stay infront of the mast - and they really are tiny things.

I think you can just about get the idea from these two pics:

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by highseas

Main halyard to cockpit not such a good idea,especially when singlehanding.Why?you still have to go to mast to,1;attach halyard to headboard,2;guide sail up through lazyjacks(especially with full length battens),3;reef sail,4;assist in pulling sail down when lowering.The mast is the place to be,unless of course you have very long arms!As far as steering while at the mast,be real quick,and or use your autopilot to hold a course into wind while idling under power,or lash the tiller.I have done this more times than I can remember,works for me.

Yep. I seem to have forgotten to include:

- all reef lines to the cockpit,

The mess with lazy-jacks when hoisting can by solved by:
- lazy jacks running to spreaders,
- or the dutchman,

On my boat the lazy jacks are tight for drop and when hoisting I ease them and the bungee cord keeps them away from the battens.

b.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

I don't have any decent shots of the mast base and will try to snap a few today.

Got distracted last night and forgot to snap some photos. Will try again today.

[delmarrey]

I know this is a little overkill but you might get some ideas from it.
The first picture is before I ran all the halyards aft.
The third is how the mainsheet jam cleats are set up............._/)